(Renishaw: Hoffman Estates, IL) -- Renishaw's new FASTRACK linear encoder scale system brings high accuracy, stainless steel construction, and quick, easy installation to large, sectional machines used in flat-panel display and photovoltaic manufacturing applications, as well as large coordinate measurement machines that require removal of the scale for transit. It is also ideal for linear motors with aluminum substrates and applications where thermal expansion of the scale must be independent of the machine structure, or those involving dissimilar axis materials, because the track-mounted scale can run across gaps up to 25 mm wide, while providing ±5 µm/m accuracy.

The FASTRACK system consists of two miniature guide rails that secure low-profile scales (8 x 0.2 mm cross-section) while allowing them to freely expand at their own thermal expansion rate with almost zero hysteresis. The scale can be installed, removed, and reinstalled as many times as required, and damaged scales can be pulled out of the guide rails and quickly replaced, even where access is limited, reducing machine downtime.

 …